HELSBY residents are seriously concerned for the safety of their children and say that motorists are using their road like 'a racetrack'.

HELSBY residents are seriously concerned for the safety of their children and say that motorists are using their road like 'a racetrack'.

Years of campaigning by Helsby Parish Council pressurised county highways to reduce the speed limit to 40mph on Primrose Lane after a 14-year-old girl was killed by a speeding car in the seventies.

But residents say that motorists are not obeying the limit and use the road like a race track. They are terrified of the same thing happening again and say that the only way to halt speeding motorists is to reduce the speed limit and put traffic calming on the road.

Primrose Lane resident Andrew Hayes wrote to the parish council and the issue was discussed at this month's meeting. The council shares Mr Hayes' concerns and wrote to county highways in support of the 30mph speed limit on the lane.

We want to try and have the speed limit reduced to 30mph and effective calming measures put in place,' said Mr Hayes.

'We are worried about personal safety. We have a number of young families on the road and although we all take the proper precautions all you have to do is lose concentration for a second and your child could be on a very dangerous road. It has just got out of control.'

'I have a two-and-a-half year old son and my wife is expecting my second child. We are planning to go to the school round the corner, but I have safety concerns with people driving as fast as they do.

'During the day there's not a huge amount of traffic, it's in the evening and at night. It's like a race track.

'it's a link to other areas and some people have no other way of coming so we are not trying to reduce the traffic just slow it down.'

According to Mr Hayes, a lot of people do use the road for walking their dogs and it is a well used route to Helsby Horn's Mill School which is just off Primrose Lane.

'I have heard people say that speed bumps aren't a great idea but there are a lot of options, pinch points, lights, I would hope if it got approval that residents would be consulted on it anyway.

'Once you get to the top of the lane it is an open speed limit and there are a number of young families living up there - it's very dangerous.'

At the top of Primrose Lane is a very windy section of road which has a national speed limit. Drivers often come off the road on the corner and into a field.

'A combination of measures is needed,' added Mr Hayes. 'A 30 limit would be a start, a police presence at the relevant time of night would help, but I understand the pressures on the police.

'But everybody I know on the lane has a problem with the speeding, I spoke to the police in August 2001 and raised it as a concern then - they said they would look into it but nothing was done.'

The parish council was in full support of the bid at the August meeting. Cllr Betty Williams, who was on the council when the speed limit was reduced originally, agreed that traffic calming was needed.

'I remember the bother we had to get the speed restriction put on Primrose Lane after the death of a child of a local resident. I suggest we get calming measures.'

The council agreed to write to County Highways and refer the matter to County Councillor Gretta Cousins.

Sergeant Blair Wilson of the Cheshire Police Traffic Department said the road should be involved in a new traffic scheme which was being set up.

'At the moment we have to target areas that have a collision history. But we have a road safety part-nership which is due to look at areas of concern to residents which have no collision history. We will be looking at those in the near future.